Research project- need feedback from writers/editors!

UMOgradstudent · Oct 6, 2009

Hi, everyone,

My name is Rachel, and I'm a graduate student in the English department at the University of Maine. I'm currently taking a Technical Editing course in which I need to do a research project/conference paper, and as both writing and editing are my chief fields of interest, I've decided to do research that links the two areas together.

To complete this project, though, I am looking for feedback from writers and editors on the following questions:
Writers - If you work with an editor, what kinds of suggestions or comments does your editor typically give you on your writing? (In other words, does he or she rewrite passages for you, ask questions, give commands, make suggestions, etc.? Does he or she correct grammar and punctuation as well as looking at major content or organization issues?) What kinds of feedback do you think you prefer to receive? Do you prefer that an editor be blunt in his or her remarks, or would you rather receive gentle feedback? (If you don't work with an editor, perhaps you could talk about the way you and your literary agent work together on a proposal, answering similar questions to the ones above.)

Editors - What kinds of feedback do you tend to give the writers you work with? What is your reaction if a writer doesn't respond to your suggestions with changes to his or her manuscript?

I would be so appreciative if any writers or editors out there could give me some feedback on these questions! You can reply to this post or email me privately at [email protected]. Please consider chiming in! Any information at all would be helpful, and it would mean a lot to a grad student who is very new to this field, and very curious about author-editor relationships. Thank you so much!

Rachel

P.S. I apologize for cross-posting, but I wanted this message to reach many different editors and writers!

Robert E. Keller · Oct 6, 2009

The following concerns short fiction only, which is what I've sold so far.

What comments or suggestions do I receive from editors? Usually, nothing. But when I do receive comments, the editor tells me what he or she liked or didn't like about the story. With me, the comments seldom focus on spelling, grammar, or punctuation. Usually, the comments concern plot, characters, or dialogue and reflect the editor's personal tastes. If editors want a re-write, they'll usually request one. Some prefer to do a little editing on their own. In short fiction (in my experience) editors don't give commands--they just make requests. As far as feedback goes, any kind is welcome. I always prefer blunt feedback. The more blunt, the better.

heatheringemar · Oct 11, 2009

Concerning short fiction sold to magazines, nothing. I've never had corrections done other than minor grammatical/typo fixes with a magazine editor.

But with my editors for my ebook short fiction, they've corrected the grammar stuff, but then gone through areas with me where the story could be stronger, places where aspects of the plot are inconsistent. They make suggestions for change, which I then have to go through and decide if I want to change it that way or not. Lots of times, I end up having long discussions with my editor on different aspects of the work as we figure out how best to strengthen the story. I do a lot of the rewriting -- it's not an editor's job to fix your work for you.

As for how an editor responds, my preferences lie in the presentation of their criticism -- meaning, I want to know exactly how my story sucked, but I want them to say it in a nice way.

That's just because I don't like walking out of an editing session feeling like they loathe my work and could care less about it. They can be tough, and I like it when they're tough, just temper it with a little kindness.

IMHO, I hate working with editors that are too timid in telling you what they want (i.e. there are glaring problems with the work that need to be fixed, but editor won't say b/c they're afraid of hurting feelings, or prefer to resort to the old, lazy, "looks fine to me").

Summonere · Oct 11, 2009

Hiya, Rachel:

Editors generally don't have much to say about my short stories once they decide to buy them, other than to comment that they liked what I sent them, and would I please sign the contract at my earliest convenience and return it to them. I don't think an editor has yet changed anything in a story without running it past me first, but I could be wrong, though some have certainly asked me to make a number of modifications, to wit:

Editors have asked for clarifications of regional idioms; changed proper words to improper words (sadly); asked for stories to be cut to lesser word counts; asked that American English and punctuation be changed to UK standards; requested electronic versions of texts that had been delivered hard-copy, and that those electronic versions be formatted in specific ways (almost always having to do with margins, fonts, line spacing, paragraph breaks); renegotiated contract rights when magazine format changed from a print version to an electronic one, and in another instance when “first European rights” became “first English rights”; changed a passage from past indicative to subjunctive mood (I forget, now, if that was a shift to past- or future-subjunctive mood); asked that I “rewrite the story in your own voice”(!); once modified the spelling of a character's name because it worked better as an allusion (Lermontov, if you must know); asked for extensive rewrites to compress characters and events into a shorter, linear story (this one had originally revolved around flashbacks, and it wasn't a short story, but a screenplay); asked that a certain reference be changed, yes, in the interest of political correctness.

The kind of feedback that I prefer is that which tells me, explicitly, what the editor wants. But sometimes all I get is: This part doesn't work. Fix it.

S.

Deleted member 42 · Oct 11, 2009

UMOgradstudent said:
Writers - If you work with an editor, what kinds of suggestions or comments does your editor typically give you on your writing? (In other words, does he or she rewrite passages for you, ask questions, give commands, make suggestions, etc.? Does he or she correct grammar and punctuation as well as looking at major content or organization issues?) What kinds of feedback do you think you prefer to receive? Do you prefer that an editor be blunt in his or her remarks, or would you rather receive gentle feedback? (If you don't work with an editor, perhaps you could talk about the way you and your literary agent work together on a proposal, answering similar questions to the ones above.)

Editors - What kinds of feedback do you tend to give the writers you work with? What is your reaction if a writer doesn't respond to your suggestions with changes to his or her manuscript?

Rachel these are very broad questions, and far too general for what you need.

I would suggest that you narrow your research area considerably, and then narrow your focus even more. Pick a kind of writing, and kind of publication, for instance.

The type of writing and where it's going to be published make a great deal of difference.

Research project- need feedback from writers/editors!

UMOgradstudent

Robert E. Keller

Likes heroic fantasy and hot coffee

heatheringemar

lurking behind that corner..

Summonere

Deleted member 42